Acts 2:38-41

 ³⁸ Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on urging them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 

 

These verses resonated with me when I read them because of  verse 40 in particular where Peter implores the listeners to 'be saved from this perverse generation'.  What I'm watching in modern culture with regards to child exposure to the internet is truly appalling and disheartening. It was announced yesterday that France has decide to block the four top 'porn tube' sites entirely from their country because these sites have operated for years as sex crime aggregation sites showing content with people who were intoxicated or drugged, coerced, assaulted, and of course the level of filmed abuse of minor children on these sites is off the charts. 

John 5: 25-29

 

²⁵ Truly, truly, I say to you, a time is coming and even now has arrived, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; ²⁷ and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. ²⁸ Do not be amazed at this; for a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, ²⁹ and will come out: those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the bad deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

 

Here Jesus gives some foreshadowing about his second coming and how it will impact both the living and the dead. He says that the dead will rise and be separated according to deeds they did while living. Jesus drives this point home because certain sects around at this time, such as the Sadducees, did not believe in the resurrection.

Matthew 24: 26-27

 ²⁶ So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. ²⁷ For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

 

This is a very powerful warning from Christ about one of the ways that people will try to deceive believers in the end times. He warns us about false prophets and false messiahs and he is telling us that these bad actors will be humans just like us. 

First Thessalonians 1:8-10

 ⁸ For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place the news of your faith toward God has gone out, so that we have no need to say anything. ⁹ For they themselves report about us as to the kind of reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is, Jesus who rescues us from the wrath to come.

 

Mark 13:22-23

22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

 

 

 

These verses cause us to contemplate a scary reality; that part of what is predicted in the end times is that people will try to impersonate Jesus Christ and claim to be him. Verse 23 is a testimony to Christ's love for us that he came to earth and experienced tremendous suffering not only to save us, but also to warn of us what would transpire long after he ascended back up to heaven after his resurrection.

Galatians 1:3-5

³ Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.

Hebrews 9:27-28

 

²⁷ And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment, ²⁸ so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

 

I think this is a beautiful couplet of verses and is yet another of one of the many places in the New Testament outside of Revelation where we are reminded again about Christ's second coming. This link at bibleref.com explains it a little more deeply in reference to the Hebrew ritual of offering sacrifices. 

Romans 13:11-14

 

¹¹ Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. ¹² The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let’s rid ourselves of the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let’s behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and debauchery, not in strife and jealousy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

 
This is an incredibly powerful admonition to us from the Apostle Paul to live as though Christ will return at any moment. Paul makes several parallels between the desires of the body and the darkness of night, and compares living in obedience to Christ with living in the full light of day. He also in the first verse tells us to 'awaken from sleep'; as someone who has battled addiction during my life I think this is a very apt description of the 'vices' that so many of us struggle with. 

1 John 2:26-29

26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.

27 As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

28 Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.

29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. 

 

I really like these verses because they speak of the "anointing" of the Holy Spirit we receive when we accept Christ and when we remain in obedience to him in our lives. We are prone to forget sometimes about this anointing by Christ; we understand we are responsible for our part in the Great Commission and we can forget it our job to bring people to Christ but that Christ himself does the actually salvation part, and that salvation is not only the acceptance of Jesus as Lord of our lives but also the lifelong process of Jesus helping us to let go of sinful behaviors and form new habits and ways of living that honor and obey him.

 

Philippians 2:9-11

 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

 

First Peter 1:20-21

 

²⁰ For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

 

Here Peter is talking about Christ and his place in infinity, and driving home that Christ preceded the beginning of our world and will exist long after it is gone. He refers to the time of his writing, and thus the time of our reading his words as "these last times". It becomes clear through reading the references like this throughout the New Testament that Christ came here and made his great sacrifice so that we can be forgiven our sins and attain eternal life even in a time of such upheaval and conflict such as ours.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

 3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. ² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these.

 

There is such elaborate description in this admonition about a falling away from godliness in the final days that it's clear that the author of Timothy sees around himself a lot of what he is describing. It is quite a list of many of the behaviors that human beings participate in when they don't have a sense of inner peace that Salvation from Christ brings. Especially interesting is the phrase in verse five that says, "holding to a form of Godliness although they have denied its power". I looked up this verse to get a clearer sense of the meaning and found this entry on bibleref.com that explains it this way: 

"Here, Paul states that evil people are known for putting on the "window dressing" of faith in God, but rejecting the actual power of the Holy Spirit. This echoes Paul's condemnation of evil in Titus 1:16. In other words, these wicked ones want to be seen as good people, or as spiritual people, or as teachers, but were not truly following God (1 Timothy 1:3–7). They had religion, but they did not have a legitimate relationship with God built upon truth (2 Timothy 3:16–17). This would also include those who overtly pick and choose when to  obey God, and when to dismiss His message."

Mark 1:14-15

 

¹⁴ Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, ¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

This very simple verse at the beginning of the Gospel of Mark tells us that in the eyes of Jesus, His arrival on earth signified the end times. He tells us very clearly while preaching that "the kingdom of God is at hand". Even though it was two thousand years ago, His words signify that the prophesied Kingdom of God was an eventual reality that would come upon all of us, and that we all need to repent from our sins and live in the tradition of following Christ and obeying His commands. 

He declares at the beginning of this verse that 'the time is fulfilled'. Clearly this demonstrates that by His arrival on earth a very important stage has begun. Time for Christ and God travels much more slowly than it does on earth so a millennium may seem like an eternity to humans, but Jesus's words in verse fifteen make it very clear that in the eyes of Christ and God the time for human beings to turn away from living for the world and to live for Christ and God is actually very short. I hope that everyone will accept Salvation from Christ while there is still time so that we can all live in Heaven together after our lives in this world.

A Prayer for Salvation from Christ:

Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer.

A more detailed step by step process:

https://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Jesus-Into-Your-Life

2nd Peter 3:3-9

 

^"3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, ⁴ and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue just as they were from the beginning of creation.” ⁵ For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, ⁶ through which the world at that time was destroyed by being flooded with water. ⁷ But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people.

⁸ But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance."

 

The content of these verses is something all Christians can relate to, that since the crucifixion Christians have awaited the return of Christ. Though Jesus tells us in Mark 13:32 that only God the Father is aware of the day and hour of Christ's return, many people have made predictions of the exact day and hour repeatedly through the centuries, leading many to doubt that it will even happen.

Peter explains in the second paragraph that God's time runs much slower than earthy time, and that because of this we really have no idea how Christ and God count time. Our time is based on planetary movement around the sun, and of the movement of the moon around the earth, things which are irrelevant to the heavenly beings. Verse nine is especially important when we understand that the true nature of Salvation from Christ is Christ giving us guidance in our lives to turn away from sin, repent of our wrong-doing, and develop new habits of thought and behavior that don't separate us from Him and God. This takes time, and as Peter says, God is not "willing for any to perish" but wants to give everyone time to come to Salvation, repent, and take up their cross to follow Christ. 

^{If you want to accept Salvation from Christ here are some resources:} 

 

<sup>A Prayer for Salvation from Christ:

Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer.

A more detailed step by step process:

https://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Jesus-Into-Your-Life</sup>

Matthew 24:9-14

 

⁹ “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. ¹⁰ And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. ¹² And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved. ¹⁴ This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

 

This paragraph follows verses four through eight that I wrote about in the prior blog. Lately the news cycle seems particularly active and I can really feel the impact of verse ten, which says that many will 'betray one another and hate one another'. It seems like everyone is at each other's throats lately for this or that. I think the word 'seems' is key because as someone that was over thirty before I got online, the kind of arguments that folks now experience daily are the kind that in the past we only had to endure a couple of times a year at the holiday dinner table with extended family. Now we are soaked in conflict and disagreement all day every day thanks to the internet.

The next verses tell us that as the end times approach there will be a dearth of love between human beings and an increase in 'lawlessness'. This can be seen all over the world. Christ tells us, finally, that we will see the Gospel preached all over the world, which we have seen happen thanks to missionaries and communications technology, and 'then the end will come'. We can look to the chapter of Revelation for more information about what may transpire right before the return of Jesus Christ. I hope everyone will make the choice to accept Christ into our hearts and allow him to make his changes in us to emulate his righteousness before this happens, so that he can carry every single last one of us to Heaven to be with God on the day of his return.

 

If you want to accept Salvation from Christ here are some resources:

A Prayer for Salvation from Christ:

Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer.

A more detailed step by step process:

https://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Jesus-Into-Your-Life

 

 

Matthew 24, 4-8

 

⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people. ⁶ And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

 

In these verses Jesus establishes that many false teachers will arise in the end days, claiming to be him, and that many people will be mislead. He talks about the 'wars and rumors of wars' which is something that is very common to our era; right now we are hearing constant talk about the potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan and much speculation on the news about what will transpire if this happens and who might be involved. At least a couple of new treaty organizations have sprung up in the last few months involving various affected countries who will have to protect their interests both regionally and globally if China goes on the offensive.

Christ also warns about famines and earthquakes in various places; this is something that anyone alive today knows happens intermittently and has been attested to since the beginning of written history. Many people interpret Christ's words here to apply to the entire 2000 years that have passed since Christ walked the earth. He tells us these great disruptions are just birth pangs that we will see happen the entire time before his return to earth in the second coming.

If you want to accept Salvation from Christ here are some resources:

A Prayer for Salvation from Christ:

Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer.

A more detailed step by step process:

https://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Jesus-Into-Your-Life